managing late life depression - mayo clinic · • the diagnoses of “major depressive disorder”...

©2015 MFMER | slide-1

Managing Late Life Depression

Geriatric Update for the Primary Care Provider 2016 November 17, 2016 Rochester, Minnesota

Maria I. Lapid, M.D, Professor of Psychiatry Program Director, Geriatric Psychiatry Fellowship

Simon Kung, M.D. Associate Professor of Psychiatry Medical Director, Mood Disorders Unit


Disclosures • None relevant to this presentation

• Some off-label use of medications for

augmentation will be mentioned.


Objectives • Describe effective strategies for screening,

diagnosing and treating depressive disorders in elderly adults.


Geriatric Depression • Prevalence • Diagnosis • Treatment

• Medications • Neurostimulation • Psychotherapy

• Suicide Risk Assessment


Prevalence of geriatric depression • Public health problem • Prevalence: 1-20%, increase with age

• 10-12% of medical inpatients • 12-14% of nursing home

• Variants more common than major depression • Minor depression • Subsyndromal depression • Subclinical depression • Subthreshold depression

©2015 MFMER | slide-6 ©2013 MFMER | slide-6

Depression prevalence by age and gender

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/depression.htm


Update on Diagnosis • DSM-5 released in May 2014

• No major differences • Major depressive episode

• A change in baseline functioning

• At least 2 weeks of symptoms

• At least either (1) depressed mood or (2) anhedonia

• At least 5 of the following: Depressed mood Anhedonia Weight change Sleep disturbance Psychomotor change

Fatigue/low energy Worthlessness/Guilt Poor concentration Suicidal thoughts


Late-life onset depression • Medical comorbidities • Cognitive impairment • Cerebrovascular abnormalities • More common symptoms in elderly:

• somatic complaints • anorexia and weight loss • psychomotor abnormalities • anxiety • suicidal behavior • psychosis


Depression and cognitive impairment • Clinical manifestations differ from early-life

depression • Executive dysfunction

• tends to persist after depression remits • reduced interest in activities • more profound psychomotor retardation • poor and unstable response to

antidepressants

Alexopoulos GS, Kelly RE. World Psychiatry 2009;8:140-149


Depression and vascular disease • Clinical manifestations similar to that of

depression and executive dysfunction • Greater frontal function impairment • Poorer insight • More psychomotor retardation • Less agitation and guilt • More disability • ?Poorer response to antidepressants



Screening tools for depression • Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)

• 5 – mild • 10 – moderate • 15 – moderately severe • 20 – severe

• Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) • Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)

• Self rate, cut off score 10


I S E A G C P S

PHQ-9 PHQ-9


• Original: 30 yes/no questions • Short version: 15 yes/no questions • Does it provide more sensitivity than PHQ-9?

• No head-to-head comparison • GDS more sensitive than PHQ-9 in

Parkinson’s patients (Willams JR Neurology. 2012 Mar 27; 78(13): 998–1006)

• PHQ-9 becoming standard in major health systems, in EHR, and for reimbursement

Screening Tool: Geriatric Depression Scale

http://www.stanford.edu/~yesavage/GDS.html


Persistent depressive disorder • Previously known as dysthymia or chronic

major depression • 2 years or more of depressed mood, without

any improvement for longer than 2 months, in which at least 2 of the following occur: • Poor appetite or overeating • Insomnia or hypersomnia • Low energy or fatigue • Low self-esteem • Poor concentration or indecisiveness • Feelings of hopelessness


“Bipolar depression” • The diagnoses of “Major depressive disorder”

and “Bipolar disorder” are mutually exclusive • Bipolar patients have “major depressive

episodes” • Unusual to have new diagnosis of bipolar

disorder in geriatric patients • Look for underlying causes • If it really is bipolar disorder, we use mood

stabilizers/antipsychotics more than antidepressants


What is “Treatment-Resistant Depression”? • Many definitions • Failure of several adequate dose and duration

antidepressants in the current episode of depression

• Some definitions include failure of electroconvulsive therapy

• Estimated to be about 30-50% of patients • In 792 primary care geriatric patients with

major depression, only 29% achieved remission (stricter outcome than response)

Azar AR. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry 2011;26(1):48-55


Before diagnosing depression, consider… • Common geriatric differential

• Dementia • Delirium

• Polypharmacy • Drug-drug interactions • Avoid anticholinergic medications

• Beer’s list • Caveat: cannot completely avoid these

medications


Before diagnosing depression, consider… • Medical conditions

• Thyroid abnormalities • Obstructive sleep apnea • Others

• Other psychiatric conditions • Substance use disorder

• Alcohol • Sedatives

• Other psychiatric conditions


Depression Treatment


Psychiatrist’s definitions • Response

• ≥50% improvement from initial symptoms • Remission

• Resolution of depressive symptoms

• Goal of treatment is REMISSION

Rush AJ. Neuropsychopharmacology 2006;31:1841 O’Donnovan C. Can J Psych 2004;49(3) suppl


Approaches to Depression Treatment

Biological

Social

Spiritual

Psych


PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY Start low, go slow


Medications: What’s old • Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs)

• Tranylcypromine (Parnate) • Phenelzine (Nardil) • Dietary restrictions, drug-drug interactions

• Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) • Amitriptyline nortriptyline • Imipramine desipramine • More side effects than newer meds • Anticholinergic • Advantage: measure blood levels


Medications: What’s current -- SSRIs Medication Characteristics

Fluoxetine (______) Long half-life Inhibits CYP450 2D6 Possibly weight neutral

Sertraline (______) Typically fewer drug-drug interactions Fluvoxamine (_____) Inhibits CYP450 2C9

Paroxetine (______) Inhibits CYP450 2D6 Weight gain Short half-life leads to withdrawal symptoms

Citalopram (______)/ Escitalopram (_____)

Metabolized by CYP450 2C19 New max dose citalopram 40 mg/day due to QTc concerns Typically fewer drug-drug interactions

All of these are generic.


Medications: What’s current -- SNRIs Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors

Medication Characteristics

Venlafaxine (______) Short half-life leads to withdrawal symptoms

Duloxetine (______) FDA indication for pain Desvenlafaxine (_____) No generic available

Is basically venlafaxine except does not get metabolized by 2D6

Milnacipran (______) Not FDA approved for depression; FDA approved for fibromyalgia

Anything with norepinephrine helps with pain.


Medications: What’s current -- other

Medication Characteristics

Buproprion (______) Can cause increase in anxiety Contraindicated in seizure disorders and eating disorders

Mirtazapine (_______) Weight gain (helps with decreased appetite) Sedation (helps with insomnia) Metabolized by kidney (adjust in renal impairment)


Medications: What’s current -- augmentation Medication Characteristics

Lithium Not just for bipolar disorder

Liothyronine (_______) Thyroid hormone Atypical antipsychotics: Olanzapine (_______) Quetiapine (______) Aripiprazole (______) Brexpiprazole (_______)

Several atypical antipsychotics are FDA-approved for augmentation to antidepressant for major depression Beware of metabolic syndrome Weight gain frequent, even with Abilify Rexulti is not generic – expensive!

Black box warning for antipsychotics in dementia


Lenze EJ. The Lancet 2015;386:2404-2412

Augmentation with Aripiprazole • Age > 60, not remitted with venlafaxine 150-300

mg, had aripiprazole 10-15 mg or placebo added

NNT=6.6


Lavretsky H. Am J Psychiatry 2015;172(6):561-569

Methylphenidate Augmentation of Citalopram (CIT)

Citalopram+Placebo, n=48

Methylphenidate+Placebo, n=48

Citalopram+Methylphenidate, n=47

Average age=69.7 yrs Mean citalopram dose about 35 mg/day Mean methylphenidate dose about 16 mg/day


Medications: What’s new Medication Characteristics

Selegiline (______) patch MAOI, no need for dietary modification unless higher dosages

Vilazodone (______) Supposed to have fewer sexual side effects, but likely not

Vortioxetine (______ Dose reduction if poor 2D6 metabolizer; formerly known as Brintellix

Levomilnacipran (______) The levo- part of milnacipran (Savella), and FDA approved for depression

Do they work any better than existing antidepressants? Probably not.

None of these are generic, thus can be quite expensive.


Pharmacotherapy Algorithm for Late-Life Depression

Mulsant BH. Clin Geriatr Med 2014;30(30:517-534. Table 4.


Antidepressant considerations in geriatrics • Use lower dosages to ensure tolerability • Pharmacokinetics

• Avoid fluoxetine due to long half life • Anticholinergic side effects

• Avoid paroxetine and TCA’s • Cardiac conduction problems

• Avoid TCA’s • Hypertension

• Avoid venlafaxine Alamo C. Psychogeriatrics 2014;14:261-268


Antidepressant considerations in geriatrics

• Hyponatremia • Caution when using SSRIs and venlafaxine

• Sexual side effects • SSRIs in general • More with escitalopram, paroxetine, venlafaxine? • Less with bupropion, mirtazapine

• Osteoporotic fractures • Depression associated with lower bone density • Antidepressants, esp SSRIs, might worsen risk

Alamo C. Psychogeriatrics 2014;14:261-268


General antidepressant selection guidelines • There is no one antidepressant class that is

clearly better than another • There is not an antidepressant clearly better

than another for depression versus anxiety • Factors when choosing antidepressant

• Response including personal or family response

• Tolerability and side effects • Comorbid conditions such as pain • Benefit for side effects such as appetite

stimulation • Availability and cost


Do antidepressants work?

• Various negative studies of antidepressants versus placebo

• Similar findings in older patients • High placebo response rates • Negative 8 week study of citalopram in patients > 75

years old • In the nursing home setting, 2 RCT with placebo

showed no benefit while open label studies showed some benefit

• Overall conclusion: antidepressants work better in moderate to severe depression

Alexopolous GS. J Clin Psychiatry 2011;72(1):e04. Roose SP. Am J Psychiatry 2004;161:2050.

Boyce RD. J Am Med Dir Assoc 2012;13(4):326-331. Nelson JC. Am J Psychiatry 2013;170:651.


Good first-line choices

• Escitalopram • Sertraline

• Generic • Fewer drug-drug interactions


What’s new: ketamine (research) • Anesthetic agent • Side effects: dissociation, psychosis • Risks: addiction • Not FDA-approved for psychiatry applications • In psychiatry, sub-anesthetic IV dose given

(0.5 mg/kg) over 40 minutes • Improvement within a few minutes to hours,

but lasts only hours to days • Improvement lasts up to 4 weeks in some

repeated infusion studies • Little to no evidence in older patients

Bobo WV. Depr Anxiety 2016;33:698-710.


NEUROMODULATION


Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) • Remains the most effective treatment for

depression • for untreated late-life depression

• response 90%, remission 70% • for medication-treatment-resistant depression

• response 70%, remission 50%

• BF and RUL both efficacious • response 64-68%, remission 40-50% • 64-79% needed between 6-12 for remission

Gormley N. BMJ 1998;316:233.

O’Connor MK, et al. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry 2001;9:382-90.

Bjolseth TM. J Affective Disorders 2015;175:8-17


Neurostimulation: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) • 6-12 treatments under anesthesia • Usually improvement within 2-3 weeks • Modern ECT is much more tolerable and

safer • Indications

• Depression with neurovegetative symptoms

• Depression with psychotic features • Catatonia • Dementia with behavioral dyscontrol

(emerging evidence)


Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) • ECT is more effective in older patients. • In RCT of 230 patients, remission rates for older

patients (>=60) vs younger patients (<60) • BT: 75% vs 58% • RUL: 70% vs 46%

• Latest technique: right unilateral ultrabrief • Fewer cognitive impairments • Has been done safely at Mayo Clinic

5x/week (as opposed to traditional 3x/week) Sanghani SPG. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry 2014;22:S114.

Rasmussen KG. J ECT 2016;32:33-7.


Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) • FDA-approved for major depression

only • 30 daily treatments (6 weeks of

Mon-Fri treatment) • No anesthesia • No memory impairments • Outpatient procedure • Main side effect: scalp pain and

discomfort at treatment site


Neurostimulation: Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)

• Response rate (56%) not as good as ECT, and about the same or a little better than medications

• Less data for geriatric populations: In patients between 40-90 (average age early 60’s) • Only 4 randomized double-blinded trials, of which 2

were positive • But none of these studies used a full 30 treatment

sessions • TMS should still be considered in geriatric

patients Carpenter LL Depr Anxiety 2012;29:587-96.

Sabesan J. World J Psychiatry 201;5:170-181.


PSYCHOTHERAPY


Psychotherapy • Efficacious in cognitively intact elderly

depressed • Interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) - focus on

loss, grief, and role transitions • Problem-solving therapy (PST) - stimulate

activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, well-suited for patients with depression and executive dysfunction

• Supportive psychotherapy • Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)



Psychotherapy in older patients • Meta-analysis of 44 studies comparing

psychotherapy to control groups, other therapies or pharmacotherapy showed NNT of 3, and effects were maintained at 6 months or longer post-randomization.

• Systematic review - age>55 for acute depression showed psychotherapy compared to control was effective, although effect size was variable

• Common psychotherapies • Cognitive behavioral therapy • Problem-solving therapy • Supportive therapy Cuijpers P. Maturitas 2014;79:160-169.

Huang, AX. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry 2015;23:261-273


Complementary and alternative therapies • Cognitive: relaxation training, imagery, self-help,

hypnosis, biofeedback • Oral medication: herbal, vitamins, homeo &

naturo-pathic • Physical treatments: massage, chiropractics,

osteopathy, acupuncture, yoga • Other: diet, lifestyle, spiritual, energy, aroma,

folk, etc. • Perceived helpfulness similar to conventional

treatments Kessler RC. Am J Psychiatry 2001; 158: 289


Suicide in older adults


http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr64/nvsr64_02.pdf

• Suicide: 41,149 deaths (1.6% of total deaths) • 4.7 persons per hour

Suicide: 10th leading cause of death (U.S.), 2013


Suicide rate per 100,000 by age group

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr64/nvsr64_02.pdf

In 2003, highest risk ages >85

In 2013, highest risk ages 45-54


Suicide Facts

• Completed suicides: 78% men, 22% women • Women more likely to have suicidal thoughts

• Most common methods

• Among men, firearms 57% • Among women, poisoning/overdose 35%

• At autopsy, tested positive for • Alcohol – 33% • Antidepressants – 24% • Opioids – 20%

http://www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/pdf/Suicide-DataSheet-a.pdf


Suicide Facts – Primary care setting

• Of completed suicides, 45% saw their primary care doctors in the last month while 20% saw mental health specialist

• In older adults: • Those with mental health problems visit

their primary care physicians more than mental health specialists

• Suicidal ideation present in up to 10%

Raue PJ. Curr Psychiatry Rep 2014;16:466.


Suicide in older adults • More lethal • Attempters are more frail, more isolated, more

likely to have a plan, and more determined • Means of suicide

• Firearms > poisoning > suffocation • Older adults 2x as likely to use firearms than

people < 60 years


Suicide Risk Factors

• Depression • Serious suicidal

ideation • Functional impairment • Stressful life events

(e.g. death of spouse, financial)

• Substance use • Medical illness

Raue PJ. Curr Psychiatry Rep 2014;16:466. Turecki G, Brent DA. Lancet 2016;387:1227-39.

• Access to firearms or other lethal means

• High anxiety/agitation • Hopelessness • Previous suicide

attempt or psychiatric hospitalization

• Family history of suicide or attempt

• Personality factors


Decreases risk of suicide

• Well developed social support network • Strong reasons for living • Responsibility for young children • Religiosity • Extraversion and optimism • Effective coping and problem-solving

Turecki G, Brent DA. Lancet 2016;387:1227-39.


How to intervene

• Ask – “Have you had thoughts of harming yourself?” “…or others?”

• Be aware of PHQ-9 Question 9 • Distinguish between passive versus active

suicidal thoughts • “Did you think of a plan?” • “Would you carry it out?”

• Document risk assessment • Decide next steps:

• Routine outpatient follow-up • Referral to mental health appointment • Referral to Crisis Center (usually county) • Send to Emergency Department


Summary • Depression in late life is associated with

cognitive decline, medical comorbidities, and greater decline in overall health.

• There are many therapeutic biological and psychosocial approaches for the treatment of late-life depression.

• Know when to refer to Psychiatry.


Thank you!

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managing late life depression - mayo clinic · • the diagnoses of “major depressive disorder”...

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